Delivering books to Louisiana’s blind and visually impaired readers

For readers with visual or physical disabilities, getting their hands on the latest bestseller isn’t as simple as pulling a book off the nearest bookstore shelf. At the forefront of providing such materials as Braille and audiobooks to readers in Louisiana is the State Library’s Talking Books and Braille Library, the only library of this type in Louisiana. TBBL is an affiliate of the Library of Congress’ National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.

The State Library’s TBBL staff sends out more than 750 books each day and 200,000 items annually to Louisiana residents. Items are also sent to schools and institutions for use by registered borrowers.

In addition to Braille books, TBBL provides a digital talking-book system that offers high-quality sound and easy navigation between book chapters. Readers with Internet access can also download audiobooks and magazines using the Braille and Audio Reading Download, and its BARD app is available to those iOS devices.